Love for Beginners (2012) User Reviews

Didn't like the opening act but it gets better

[mister_bateman · 5/10 · 18 September 2020]

I usually like shoujo movies, but I didn't enjoy this one. There was no reason why this school bad boy picks the shy, plain, conservative girl, they have zero chemistry. Especially at the beginning when they meet. It's totally random, or at least the movie fails to show it properly. He's not likeable or charming. Quite the opposite, he just comes across as a prick (also particularly at the beginning). Which makes no sense why she would even start liking him. To be fair it gets better in the second half when the story gets a bit more serious and emotional, but at that point I had already kind of checked out, so the movie failed to redeem itself for me personally. Now that you are warned, you might end up liking it more than I did. The main girl is a nice girl and I think her being "old-fashioned" conveyed a good message.

not good enough

[PennyReviews · 2/10 · 24 July 2017]

Not something you haven't seen before. Actually, the story was just so so, and the whole hair thing was odd. Okay, the her talent with grooming one's hair was only used at the beginning and then towards the end as well. But, the description makes it sound like it would take upon the whole movie and it will be the base of everything. However, that wasn't the case. Unfortunately, that also meant that the whole upbeat, silly cute vibe that one would expect, was gone. Actually, the story is kind of a heavy love story, that wants to present the characters as complicated but never managing to present them in depth. In addition to that, the cartoon bears that appear out of nowhere really didn't agree with the whole atmosphere of the movie. In the end, this movie left confused on what was the concept it wanted to take on, so 2 out of 10.

A real heartwarmer

[goodstoryseeker · 10/10 · 21 January 2021]

I stumbled upon this title on Amazon. When a reviewer there mentioned that this movie is re-watchable, I bought the DVD. If you are interested in seeing a well-developed love story involving a young high school-age guy and girl, this movie is for you. It's even better if you're already in college or later.

First of all, the meaning of the Japanese title is literally, "Today, love begins." In contrast, the English translation, "Love for Beginners," implies that this movie provides some instruction for people who are inexperienced with love. Kyota, the main male lead, has some experience with love (he's already had his first love). He's the good-looking, bad boy that all the girls like at school. The main girl lead, Tsubaki, is your kind-hearted, honest, down-to-earth girl, who Kyota tries to win over in order to win a bet with his friends. Because Kyota will be Tsubaki's first love, and the story begins when she meets Kyota, the movie's title refers to her life. Coincidentally, Kyota's last name is Tsubaki, and Tsubaki (the girl) realizes that if they were to get married, she'd have the same first and last names!

As their love develops, Tsubaki wins Kyota over with her honesty, integrity, kind heart, and strong family values. Tsubaki sees right through Kyota's facade: although he is the popular boy that everyone looks up to, he has a lot of family troubles that are primarily a result of his mom leaving his dad for someone else when he was very young (and worse, his mom left on Kyota's birthday). Kyota guards his heart by not letting any girl come too emotionally close. Tsubaki changes all that, makes Kyota a better person, and Kyota is indebted to her for it.

Emi Takei, the actress who plays Tsubaki, has great facial expressions. There will be moments in this movie that you'll sympathize with her. There are also moments where you will definitely smile.

Lovely n cute

[misyelhasanah-06139 · 19 August 2019]

Love Tori Matsuzaka character in this movie. The chemistry between him and Emi Takei also excellent.